Moving Questions. WWYD?

Princess_Lily

Our school district we live in now, have a GreatSchool rating of a 9.  However the community and the children in the surrounding area aren't warm and welcoming, but very cliquey (the only way to describe it).  At the playground, unless you know the children or parents its rare for people to say "hello."  For us, its not a family friendly neighborhood as it has the potential to be - they have community activities for the children, etc. but on an every day experience everyone is quite selfish where we live now - its disappointing.

I would love for my husband and I to find a nice SFH to raise our children in with a decient backyard.   I want us to live in a community that is not only warm and welcoming, but at Halloween time, 90% of the adults make it special for the children, with candy and a smile on their faces. I want live in a community where my kids could go to a playground where they feel they don't feel they have to "know" someone to be a part of a group, where the parents talk and smile, ya know a normal family friendly community.

Well about 30min north of where I live there is a community like this.  The playground we went to yesterday had 3 playgrounds, and my child was there for 3 hours without asking for me to play with him - because he was playing with other children his age, and they were warm and welcoming!  There was even an Ice Cream truck that came by, I haven't seen one in 10 years, since I lived in our community we are in now.  The park (I visited a friend of mine), had tons of young families who were attentive to their kids too...  there are SFH all over the place there.  There is only one problem, but I'm not sure if its that much of a problem...the Elementary School rating is a 6, Middle school a 5, and the HS is a 3.  For public schools around our area, this is quite common.  There is only one district with SFHs that the schools are a 9-10, and the housing is much much much smaller and older, like an average 3bed is 1000 sqft, and from the 1960s.

WWYD? The other community, the houses are much larger, younger and there is more sqft.  Many people around where I live send their children to private schools too.  I just don't know what to do.

Frankly I should also add that in my experience the grades are based on State Test scores, not the schools itself.  For example, the local school in my area we are in now is a 9, the parents & children are cliquey and guarded, many are quite unwelcoming.  Then another 9 graded school  the community is known for their idyllic setting however the bullying is so bad that children are commiting suicide from the torment.  So...

Mags748

If it were me, I would probably only move there if there were good private schools to send my kids to. I know the ratings arent everything but it either means the schools arent doing a good job or its the type of students attending. I live in a suburb of milwaukee and most people dont want to send their kids to public schools there. They have good pay and benefits so they get good teachers but lots of kids come from poverty and poor home life situations where school is not valued. Many parents in the city send their kids to private schools, charter schools or bus them out to thesuburbs with the school choice program.

LoveActually4

Those school ratings are very bad. I wouldn't move. Schools are the number 1 importance to us.

Why don't you just go to the other playground from now on where the kids are nicer?

Princess_Lily

Attending private schools (religious and non-religious) is quite common here for parents to do.  All of my friends went lived in suburban areas, however the public schooling (grade-wise) was the pits, so they all went to private institutions from a very young age.

I should also add, we are in a financial position to move in the near future (once the baby is born), we are able after 6yrs to sell our home for a profit, we have been waiting for this time to come - I just need to figure out the best option for us to move to.